Dragon's Blood
by StBridget
Summary: Steve helps Grace come to terms with who and what she is. AU Dragon!Danny verse. McDanno established.


Hawaii 5-0 is property of CBS and its creators.

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Danny lay on the beach, letting the sun warm his scales. He still hated the sand, still hated getting it in uncomfortable places, hated getting it caught in his scales even more than getting it caught in his clothes, but he had to admit it felt nice to stretch out in his dragon form and just _be_ without having to worry about being caught. He couldn't be out and about much in the daytime in case someone saw him, but Steve's beach was private, and it didn't matter. Besides, Steve _liked_ Danny in his dragon form. Sometimes Danny thought Steve liked it more than his human form.

"Do not," Steve protested from next to Danny, where he was building a sandcastle with Grace.

He must have picked up on Danny's thoughts. That was the thing about being soulmates—they were connected and could communicate telepathically when Danny was in dragon form. Even when both were in human form, they could feel strong emotions. Danny thought fondly about what some of those strong emotions were.

"Do not what, Uncle Steve?" Grace asked.

Steve was startled. He'd forgotten other people couldn't hear Danny. Actually, he'd sort of assumed Grace could. She was his daughter, after all.

" _No, she can't. Not in human form. Not really in dragon form, either,"_ Danny thought.

" _Why not?"_

" _Because human's just can't. They're mind blind. So are dragons in human form, mostly. That's why we can only feel things when we're both human."_

" _But I'm human and I can hear you,"_ Steve protested.

Danny nuzzled him affectionately. _"That's because you're a freak."_

Grace was still waiting for an answer. "Don't what, Uncle Steve?"

Steve turned his attention to her. "Don't like Danno better in dragon form."

"But he's so beautiful!"

"See, even Grace thinks so!" Steve pointed out triumphantly to Danny. Danny just snorted. "I bet you're beautiful in dragon form, too, Gracie."

Grace's face fell. "I don't have a dragon form."

Steve was startled. "You don't? But I thought. . ."

"I'm only half-dragon. I can only shift half-way," she said sadly.

"I bet you're still beautiful. C'mon, show me."

Grace was reluctant. "Mommy says I shouldn't shift in case someone sees me."

"There's no one here. Please, Gracie."

Grace shook her head. "Mommy says I'm a freak."

Steve was shocked at that. He knew Rachel cared overly much about appearances, but he didn't think she'd call her own daughter a freak. Danny rustled his wings angrily, and Steve put a hand on him soothingly. "C'mon, Grace, I'm sure she doesn't think that."

"Yes, she does."

Danny continued to bristle, and Steve stroked his muzzle to calm him down. "She didn't actually say that, did she?"

"Not to me, but I heard her tell Stan once she didn't want anybody to know I was half-dragon, didn't want anybody to think her daughter was some sort of freak."

Danny calmed slightly. That was better, though still not good. Grace should be proud of who she was, what she was, not ashamed. Steve sensed his thoughts and continued talking to Grace.

"Nobody here's going to think you're a freak. We love you just the way you are, human _and_ dragon. Now, please, shift for me."

Grace hesitated a moment longer. "Okay," she said at last. The air shimmered, and Grace was replaced by. . .Steve didn't know what to call it. It wasn't a dragon, but it wasn't fully human, either. She had a dragon's snout and tail, and dragon claws, but her body was still humanoid, just covered in golden scales, just like Danny's. "I was right, you're beautiful," Steve said sincerely, admiring her graceful form.

" _I am?"_

"Of course you are." Danny and Grace both pulled back and looked at Steve, wide-eyed. "What? It's true!"

" _You heard that?"_ the two dragons thought in unison.

"Well, yeah, of course. Shouldn't I have?"

" _No,"_ Danny said. _"I told you, she's mostly mind-blind, even like this._ I _can barely hear her, and I have to concentrate."_

"Well, I can hear her just fine."

" _Well, Grace, I think we've determined quite clearly you're not the freak here. Uncle Steve is,"_ Danny thought, with humor.

Grace giggled in Steve's mind. _"I know why he can hear me,"_ she said.

" _Why?"_ the other two asked.

" _It's because you two are soulmates.."_

" _Yeah,"_ Danny said. _"That's why we can hear each other, but that doesn't explain why he can hear you and you can hear him."_

" _Sure it does."_ The two men just looked at her. _"Look,"_ she explained patiently, _"you're soulmates, right?"_ They nodded. _"So, you're a part of each other. And I'm Danno's daughter, so I'm part of him. So that makes me part of Uncle Steve."_

Steve looked thoughtful. "That actually makes sense."

" _I guess. I still think you're a freak, though."_

"But you love me anyway."

" _Yeah, I love you anyway. I love you both anyway, and don't either of you forget it."_

" _We won't, Danno,"_ they both promised.

"Hey, don't we have a sandcastle to finish?" Steve asked.

Grace looked down at hands. _"Can't with these claws. I can change back, though."_

"No, don't. I like you like this." He reached out and scratched her eyelids, causing her to lean into him, just like Danny did. Steve was pleased t see she liked it just as much as her father. "Let's just lay here, me with my two beautiful dragons."

" _Okay,"_ Grace agreed.

Steve sat down, leaning against Danny's bulk. Grace snuggled into his lap, sighing contentedly as he continued to scratch her eyelids. Danny curled protectively around them both. Gracie was right. Human, dragon, and in-between, they were a part of each other. And that, Danny thought, was just the way it should be.


End file.
